As US soccer fans jump aboard the bandwagon of the surprisingly strong World Cup national men’s team, Nike and Adidas are engaged in their own competition for soccer supremacy.
While Adidas would seem to have the advantage as an official World Cup sponsor, Nike appears to have gained the upper hand based on sponsorships, marketing and social media buzz.
Nike sponsors more of the stronger teams and brightest stars left battling in the global soccer tourney. The Oregon-based athletic giant claims 10 World Cup teams — one more than Adidas — including host favorite Brazil, as well as the US.
What’s more, Nike has signed six of the 10 most marketable soccer players in the world, compared to Adidas’ three. Germany-based Adidas may drop Uruguay’s Luis Suarez as a result of his latest biting episode, which led to his four-month suspension.
And though Adidas has held on to the soccer market overall, more than half of the cleats worn by the players in the tournament are made by Nike, making its cleats more popular among consumers.
Nike’s edge also extends to social media. In preparation for the World Cup, Nike increased its marketing expenses by 36 percent last quarter.
This helped Nike conceive two ads that have generated 380 million views on YouTube, making them three times more popular than Adidas’ advertisements.
Nike also leads Adidas in critical metrics including most retweets and a larger increase in followers during the World Cup. @Nikefootball has had roughly 10 percent, or 10,000, more retweets than @Adidasfootball since the beginning of the World Cup.